WHEATON, Ill. - Freshman guard Sierra Grubor (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored six of her team-high 10 total points in the second half but the Carroll University women's basketball team lost to league leader Wheaton College 62-52 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at King Arena on Saturday evening.
The frustrating road loss snapped a string of back-to-back victories for Carroll, which came in riding the momentum of winning four of its last five games but dropped to 2-3 in the highly contested conference standings and 7-7 overall.
Despite leading 28-26 at halftime, the Pioneers couldn't maintain the momentum and were outscored 19-8 in what proved to be a decisive third quarter - including 11 unanswered points over a critical, game-changing four-minute stretch.
Freshman guard Theresa Wichser (Waukesha, Wis.) contributed nine points with three baskets from 3-point range for Carroll, which made three 3-pointers, 5 of 8 free throws and shot 40 percent from field-goal range. Sophomore center Katie Rossetti (Wauconda, Ill.) followed with eight points, a team-best six rebounds and a blocked shot.
Freshman center Celina Schwantes (Pewaukee, Wis.) also chipped in eight points and freshman forward Kayla Stefka (Johnsburg, Ill.) had seven points for the Pioneers, who shot 31.3 percent in the second half and missed on nine crucial 3-point attempts. Freshman point guard Alyssa Cruz (West Allis, Wis.) added six points, a team-best eight assists, six rebounds and two steals.
Carroll trimmed the deficit to 45-38 on a layup by Stefka with 9:02 remaining but couldn't complete the comeback.
Junior forward Hannah Frazier, a two-time CCIW Player of the Week selection this season, registered a double-double by finishing with a game-high 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots for first-place Wheaton -  which entered the contest hovering just out of the Top 25 - and improved to 5-0 in conference and 11-3 overall.
Senior forward Devin Kyler had 18 points with three 3-pointers, six assists, five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals for the Thunder, which made six 3-pointers, 8 of 13 free throws and shot 40.7 percent from the field.
Junior guard Jordan Myroth added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals for Wheaton, which scored 13 points off turnovers, collected 13 second-chance points and outrebounded the Pioneers 39-33 - including a 14-10 advantage on the offensive glass.